A network service provider may want to provide its customers with access to services that are not provided directly by its server. Therefore, the service provider may have to redirect its customers to another remote server capable of providing the service.
For example, an Internet banking site may wish to provide its customers with a full range of banking services, e.g., opening and maintaining a checking account, applying for a credit card or loan, paying bills, or accessing brokerage or financial planning services. Each of these Internet banking services may be provided by an independent server that requires the user to enter a unique username (or ID) and password. Therefore, when a customer wishes to utilize a banking service that is provided by a remote server, after the Internet banking host server redirects the customer to the remote service provider, the customer must enter a new username and password specific to that service. Given the broad range of services that an Internet bank may wish to provide, this places the burden of renumbering and entering multiple usernames and passwords on the customer. This is a significant drawback to the customer. This is also a significant drawback to the Internet bank because customer dissatisfaction may result in lost accounts.
Furthermore, if the customer returns to the host provider after accessing a remote service provider, and then desires to return to the remote service provider, the customer must re-enter the same username and password for that service. For example, in the Internet banking context, if a customer decides to access his or her checking account, then utilize brokerage services, and then desires to return to his or her checking account, the customer must enter his or her unique username and password for the checking account service twice. This is a significant drawback.
In addition, a host service provider may wish to change the remote service providers that customers can access through its server. In the Internet banking context, for example, a host Internet bank may utilize a particular remote service to provide its customers with checking account services. For different reasons, the host Internet bank may later wish to change the remote checking account service provider. This would require the Internet banking customer to create and remember a new username and password for the new remote service. Again, the burden of remembering an even greater number of user names and passwords falls on the customer and the risk of losing those customers is borne by the host Internet bank. This is another significant drawback.
Other drawbacks to conventional approaches exist.